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FC Arda Kardzhali

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Arda Kardzhali
Full nameПрофесионален Футболен Клуб Арда 1924 Кърджали (Professional Football Club Arda 1924 Kardzhali)
Nickname(s)Сините от Кърджали (The blue ones from Kardzhali)
Господарите на Родопите (The Lords of the Rhodopes)[1]
Short nameАрда (Arda)
FoundedAugust 10, 1924; 100 years ago (1924-08-10) (as Rodopski Sokol)
GroundArena Arda, Kardzhali
Capacity12,000
Head coachAleksandar Tunchev
LeagueFirst League
2023–24First League, 8th of 16
Websitefcarda.bg
Current season

FC Arda 1924 Kardzhali (Bulgarian: ПФК Арда Кърджали) is a Bulgarian professional football club based in Kardzhali that competes in First League, the top tier of the Bulgarian football league system.

It was founded on 13 October 1924, as an association football branch of a larger sports society in the town. The club was reestablished in 2015, after its former entity was dissolved.

Named after the Arda river, a tributary of the Maritsa, Arda's home ground is the Arena Arda in Kardzhali, which has a capacity of 15,000 spectators. For the majority of its existence, the club regularly participated in the Second League, with its highest-ever ranking a second-place finish during the 1955–56 Bulgarian Second League. In the Bulgarian Cup, Arda have reached the finals once, in 2021, losing to CSKA Sofia.

In 2018–19, Arda won the Second League promotion play-off against Septemvri Sofia, resulting in the club's first-ever appearance in the Bulgarian top division.

History

First Arda team (1924–2013)

Arda was established on August 10, 1924, under the name Rodopski Sokol, but later took the name Arda, derived from the nearby Arda River.[2] From 1945 to 1957 the team was named Minyor until a year later when the previous name was put in use again. In 1956, the club finished as a runner-up in the B Group. They also reached the quarter-finals of the Bulgarian Cup during the 1959–60 campaign of the competition. In 1988 they secured the third place in the B Group. The Kardzhali club spend most of its time in the second and third levels of Bulgarian football, before getting dissolved in 2013 due to financial troubles.

Refounding (2015–2017)

The team suffered relegation from the V Group in 2013 and didn't compete in any league division until 2015 when they returned to the A Regional Group after reestablishment. In 2016, Arda achieved promotion to the Bulgarian Third League after a successful season and a 3–0 win in the play-off match against Lyubimets.[3]

PSI Group ownership and promotion to the elite (2017–present)

In early June 2017, the club was purchased by Bulgarian road construction company PSI Group, in an attempt to develop a football project, inspired by the domestic and international success of Ludogorets.[4] Two weeks later, former Levski Sofia player Elin Topuzakov was appointed as head coach and Emil Kremenliev was hired as sporting director.[5] Subsequently, Petar Peshev was elected chairman of the club and was revealed that the new ownership would invest around €1 million in new signings, salaries and infrastructure around the stadium during the following South-East Third League season.[6] All of this led to an amateur double during the 2017–18 season, as Arda won both its group and the Cup of Bulgarian Amateur Football League, resulting in a promotion to the Bulgarian Second League.[7]

After the unsatisfactory results in the first 5 rounds, Elin Topuzakov was released as a manager and Stoycho Stoev was appointed,[8] but on 6 March 2019 Stamen Belchev was appointed as the new manager, after Stoev reached an agreement with the Bulgarian champions Ludogorets Razgrad. The team improved greatly, eventually managing a 3rd-place finish, enabling them to participate in the play-offs against relegation-avoider PFC Septemvri Sofia to enter the top level of Bulgarian football. Arda eventually won 0–1 over Septemvri at the Lokomotiv Stadium in Plovdiv, thus resulting in the club's first-time ever participation in the Bulgarian First League.[9]

First seasons in the elite and Bulgarian Cup Final

Arda's first match in the Bulgarian top tier resulted in a 0–0 home draw against Botev Plovdiv. This was followed by an away 0–0 draw to Tsarsko Selo. Arda's first win came in the third round, when the team managed to beat Beroe Stara Zagora 3–1 at home. Arda then won their first away game in the top league, by beating Vitosa Bistritsa 1–3, extending their unbeaten run to four games. At the end of the first half of the season in December, Arda was in seventh place in the league, with seven wins, seven draws, and six losses. At the end of the regular season in June, Arda was in the relegation group. Despite this, on June 20, Arda secured their place in the First League for the upcoming season, after Botev Plovdiv beat Botev Vratsa 3–2.

Arda reached the final of the 2020–21 Bulgarian Cup, their first-ever participation at a final of the domestic cup. Arda faced CSKA Sofia, and lost by 1–0, in a closely fought game. A few days later, the team won the Europa Conference League play-off against Cherno More Varna and qualified for European tournament for first time in their history.[10] In the Europa Conference League, Arda faced Israeli side Hapoel Be'er Sheva. Arda's general inexperience with European football caused an upsetting 0–2 home loss, followed by a 4–0 away loss, which eliminated Arda from the Europa Conference League.

Honours

Players

Current squad

As of 12 October 2024

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Bulgaria BUL Anatoli Gospodinov
2 DF Brazil BRA Gustavo Cascardo
4 DF Bulgaria BUL Milen Stoev
6 DF Bulgaria BUL Plamen Krachunov
7 MF Bulgaria BUL Stefan Statev
8 MF Turkey TUR Baran Aksaka (on loan from Galatasaray)
9 FW Nigeria NGA Chinonso Offor
10 MF Bulgaria BUL Borislav Tsonev
11 FW Bulgaria BUL Boris Tyutyukov
13 GK Bulgaria BUL Petar Petrov
15 FW Bulgaria BUL Nikolay Zhekov
17 DF Bulgaria BUL Ilker Budinov
No. Pos. Nation Player
18 DF Azerbaijan AZE Cəlal Hüseynov
19 FW Bulgaria BUL Tonislav Yordanov
23 DF Bulgaria BUL Emil Viyachki
26 FW Turkey TUR Burak Akandzha
30 FW Bulgaria BUL Ivo Kazakov
33 MF Bulgaria BUL Ivan Tilev
34 MF Turkey TUR Sarp Ayasulu
35 DF Bulgaria BUL Dimitar Velkovski
44 DF Nigeria NGA David Akintola
80 MF Bulgaria BUL Lachezar Kotev
93 DF Cameroon CMR Félix Eboa Eboa
99 FW Bulgaria BUL Stanislav Ivanov

For recent transfers, see Transfers winter 2023–24, Transfers summer 2024.

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player

Foreign players

Up to twenty foreign nationals can be registered and given a squad number for the first team in the Bulgarian First League, however only five non-EU nationals can be used during a match day. Those non-EU nationals with European ancestry can claim citizenship from the nation their ancestors came from. If a player does not have European ancestry he can claim Bulgarian citizenship after playing in Bulgaria for 5 years.

EU Nationals

EU Nationals (Dual citizenship)

Non-EU Nationals

Goalscoring and appearance records

As of 16 June 2024

Most appearances for the club in First League

Rank Name Career Appearances
1 Bulgaria Ivan Kokonov 2019–2024 145
2 Bulgaria Ivan Tilev 2020– 118
3 Bulgaria Deyan Lozev 2018–2019
2020–2021
2022–2024		 102
4 Bulgaria Lachezar Kotev 2020–2023
2023–		 101
5 Bulgaria Tonislav Yordanov 2021–2023
2023–		 100
6 Bulgaria Milen Stoev 2018– 95
7 Bulgaria Aleksandar Georgiev 2019–2023 89
8 Bulgaria Iliya Yurukov 2021–2024 86
9 Bulgaria Svetoslav Kovachev 2020–2024 85
10 Bulgaria Milen Zhelev 2020–2023 84
As of 16 June 2024

Most goals for the club in First League

Rank Name Career Goals
1 Bulgaria Tonislav Yordanov 2021–2023
2023–		 25
1 Bulgaria Ivan Kokonov 2019–2024 22
3 Bulgaria Svetoslav Kovachev 2020–2024 17
4 Bulgaria Spas Delev 2019–2021 14
5 Bulgaria Radoslav Vasilev 2019–2021 11
5 Bulgaria Preslav Borukov 2023–2024 11
7 Bulgaria Stanislav Ivanov 2022– 9
8 Bulgaria Ivan Tilev 2020– 8
8 Mali Lassana N'Diaye 2022–2023 8
10 Bulgaria Lachezar Kotev 2020–2023
2023–		 6
10 Mali Aboubacar Toungara 2023–2024 6
  • Players in bold are still playing for Arda.

Records and notable stats

Club Records

  • Biggest home win in First League: Arda Kardzhali 5–0 Lokomotiv Plovdiv (17 February 2023)
  • Biggest away win in First League: Botev Plovdiv 0–3 Arda Kardzhali (6 June 2023)
  • Biggest home loss in First League: Arda Kardzhali 0–4 Ludogorets Razgrad (12 February 2022)
  • Biggest away loss in First League: Tsarsko Selo 4–0 Arda Kardzhali (25 April 2021)
  • Unbeaten streak in First League (single season): 11 (2020–21)
  • Most consecutive wins in First League (single season): 5 (2023–24)

Notable players

For all players with a Wikipedia article see Category:FC Arda Kardzhali players.

The footballers enlisted below have international caps for their respective countries or more than 100 caps for Arda. Players whose name is listed in bold represented their countries.

European record

As of match played 29 July 2021
Competition Played Won Drew Lost GF GA GD Win%
UEFA Europa Conference League 2 0 0 2 0 6 −6 000.00
Total 2 0 0 2 0 6 −6 000.00

Matches

Season Competition Round Club Home Away Aggregate
2021–22 UEFA Europa Conference League 2Q Israel Hapoel Be'er Sheva 0–2 0–4 0–6

Personnel

Board of directors

Position Name Nationality
President Bulgaria
Director of Football Bulgaria
Director of Sports Administration Bulgaria
Administrator Bulgaria

Current technical body

Position Name Nationality
Head Coach Aleksandar Tunchev Bulgaria
Assistant Coach Veselin Minev Bulgaria
Goalkeeper coach Todor Popov Bulgaria
Conditioning Coach Anton Donchev Bulgaria

Manager history

Name Nat From To Honours
Elin Topuzakov Bulgaria 12 July 2017 26 August 2018
Stoycho Stoev Bulgaria 26 August 2018 6 March 2019
Stamen Belchev Bulgaria 6 March 2019 14 April 2020
Nikolay Kirov Bulgaria 15 April 2020 3 September 2021
Georgi Chilikov Bulgaria 8 September 2021 9 November 2021
Slavko Matić Serbia 12 November 2021 16 December 2021
Stamen Belchev Bulgaria 23 December 2021 14 May 2022
Aleksandar Tunchev Bulgaria 19 May 2022 25 February 2024
Nikolay Kirov Bulgaria 26 February 2024 31 May 2024
Aleksandar Tunchev Bulgaria 7 June 2024

Seasons

League positions

First Professional Football League (Bulgaria)Second Professional Football League (Bulgaria)Third Amateur Football League (Bulgaria)Regional Amateur Football Groups (Bulgaria)Bulgarian V AFG

Past seasons

Results of league and cup competitions by season
Season League Bulgarian Cup Other competitions Top goalscorer
Division Level Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Pos
2015–16 A Regional League 4 8 7 0 1 45 7 +38 21 1st ↑ Not qualified
2016–17 South-East Third League 3 34 11 6 17 49 69 –20 39 16th Not qualified Cup of Bulgarian Amateur League N/Q
2017–18 3 34 30 4 0 142 7 +135 94 1st ↑ Not qualified W Bulgaria Dimitar Aleksiev 26
2018–19 Second League 2 30 19 5 6 44 18 +26 62 3rd ↑ Round of 32 Bulgaria Ventsislav Hristov 12
2019–20 First League 1 30 8 11 11 28 36 –8 35 9th Round of 16 Bulgaria Radoslav Vasilev 9
2020–21 1 31 13 11 7 42 37 +5 50 4th Runners-up Bulgaria Ivan Kokonov 8
2021–22 1 32 8 11 13 38 51 –13 35 10th Round of 16 Europa Conference League 2Q Bulgaria Tonislav Yordanov 7
2022–23 1 36 16 10 10 47 36 +9 58 7th Quarter-final Mali Lassana N'Diaye 8
2023–24 1 36 14 9 13 39 35 +4 51 8th Quarter-final Bulgaria Tonislav Yordanov 7

Key

Champions Runners-up Promoted Relegated

References

  1. ^ "Феновете в Кърджали: Ние сме Арда - господари на Родопите" (in Bulgarian). 30 October 2017. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  2. ^ "История на клуба". Archived from the original on 2021-10-20. Retrieved 2018-06-23.
  3. ^ "Арда (Кърджали) се върна в Трета лига". Archived from the original on 2019-05-14. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  4. ^ "Готви се грандиозен проект в Кърджали, Топузаков и легенда от САЩ '94 поемат клуба". Archived from the original on 2021-01-18. Retrieved 2017-06-16.
  5. ^ "Топузаков потвърди за треньорския пост в Арда Кърджали". 15 June 2017. Archived from the original on 2019-05-14. Retrieved 2017-06-16.
  6. ^ "Силният човек на новия хит в БГ футбол за плановете на клуба и защо е избрал Топузаков". Archived from the original on 2021-01-26. Retrieved 2017-06-26.
  7. ^ "Драма във Велико Търново! Арда направи дубъл в аматьорския футбол". Archived from the original on 2018-05-24. Retrieved 2018-05-24.
  8. ^ "Арда освободи Топузаков, сериозно име пое отбора". Archived from the original on 2018-08-26. Retrieved 2018-08-26.
  9. ^ "Стамен Белчев пое Арда". Archived from the original on 2019-03-06. Retrieved 2019-03-06.
  10. ^ "Историческа вечер за Кърджали! Арда срази Черно море и ще дебютира в Европа". Archived from the original on 2021-06-02. Retrieved 2021-05-30.
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